Sports get Rs 500 crore push as Government plans new academies

The union Budget announced on Thursday provided a major fillip to sports in the country, with Finance Minister Arun Jaitley allocating Rs 1,769 crore to the discipline, a significant hike of Rs 561 crore from last year.

The government will set up national sports academies for various sporting disciplines across the country, as well as the Rs 200 crore earmarked for J&K as a special incentive to enhance sporting facilities in the state.

J&K is the biggest beneficiary as the government wants to upgrade the indoor and outdoor stadiums in the state to international standards in order to nurture and develop sports in the state.

Also, an annual event will be started to promote traditional sports in the Himalaya region.

A sports university will also be set up in Manipur, for which Jaitley has earmarked a sum of Rs 100 crore.

There was also a significant rise in the budget allocation for the Sports Authority of India (SAI), the nodal agency for sports in the country.

The SAI has been given Rs 405.10 crore – a hike of Rs 84.65 crore from what was earmarked in the last union Budget.